IMAGE OF THE WEEK

© DURGA YAEL BERNHARD

Seascape with Apples

Summer’s end is always a poignant time.  How quickly the hot afternoons and cool evening sunsets slip away.  It’s a bittersweet harvest as we gather the season’s memories and bid the long days farewell.

My summer ended this year with a welcome trip to Cape Ann, where my daughter and I meet my sister each year at the historic guesthouse where we were first taken as children:  The Captain’s House, in Rockport, Massachusetts.  Happily, we were gifted with superb weather, and spent our days lollygagging on the beach and walking along the rocky bluffs.   I soaked up the sunshine, slept to the sound of waves, and took my travel sketchbooks with me everywhere.  All of Cape Ann is an artists’ haven, with numerous art galleries, craft shops, and museums.  I am preceded by such giants as American painters Edward Hopper, Milton Avery, Fitz Henry Lane, and Winslow Homer.  Cape Ann is also the set of many films, too numerous to name here (but how it passes for Alaska beats me).  It’s a historic town with many well-preserved points of interest, and thankfully, very few shopping malls.

One fine afternoon after hours in the sun, we sought the refuge of a shady porch at the guesthouse, which overlooks Straitsmouth Island just a few hundred yards offshore.  A bowl of apples put out for guests made a fine subject for this combination still-life/seascape.  The old-fashioned green glass ashtray seemed to add a gentle smile (though I wish it were obsolete).  The ocean was calm and the sky veiled with afternoon haze.  I wanted to preserve this peaceful day forever, as a busy autumn of intense work lies ahead for both my sister and me, and a heavy load of schoolwork for my daughter.

Painting the scene was the best I could do to capture the moment.  At least as we headed home after our precious respite from the daily grind, we look forward to returning again next summer.

Order Seascape with Apples as a POSTER this week, and get a free greeting card (of the same image)!   $10 for the poster and card, shipping included.  Order your poster here!

Wishing you a pleasant and productive autumn!